Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an airbag apparatus mounted in a vehicle, in particular to an airbag apparatus including a regulating member that regulates the deployment and inflation of a part of an airbag when the airbag deploys and inflates.
Description of Related Art
The related art discloses an airbag apparatus that regulates (suppresses) the deployment and inflation of a part of an airbag. When the airbag deploys and inflates, the deployment and inflation of a part of the airbag is suppressed further than other portion, and the other portions of the airbag deploy and inflate earlier than a part of the airbag. This type of airbag apparatus adopts a holding member (regulating member) having shape holding properties. The holding member includes two pocket-shaped portions that accommodate folded portions of the airbag. When the airbag is folded and accommodated in an accommodating portion, two folded portions of the airbag are preliminarily held in the pockets of the holding member. At an initial stage of the deployment and inflation of the airbag, the folded portions are preliminarily held in the holding member so as to be momentarily detained in the pockets of the holding member. Thereafter, the folded portions escape from the holding member, and then deploy and inflate.
The holding member has a rectangular parallelepiped box shape having shape holding properties. The holding member is also used as a wrapping member that wraps the airbag so as not to collapse the folded shape of the airbag. Both box-shaped portions of the holding member function as the pocket-shaped holding portions for the folded portions of the airbag. At the inflation of the airbag, in the holding member, the edge of a center opening of each of the holding portions is bent into a convex shape. The edges of the center openings regulate the deployment and inflation of the airbag until the folded portions of the airbag are released to escape from the holding portions.